


The Creed of Atheon

by StarryEyedLight



Category: Destiny (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Angst, Gen, Multi, Other, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-18
Updated: 2017-06-02
Packaged: 2018-11-02 08:22:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10940637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarryEyedLight/pseuds/StarryEyedLight
Summary: A year after the Black Garden falls, a broken team of guardians are called together once again when one of them discovers a sinister threat to the Last City and Traveler. Without the approval of the Vanguard, and as old wounds fester between members, the group of six dare to approach the Waking Ruins and transcend the threshold into the elusive and mythical Vault of Glass.





	1. A Whisper of Osiris

“Praise be to the Light!” Rehgar chimed, his cheery grin going from ear to ear. Dark hair was tied back into a ponytail, eyes gleaming with a glow that scarce few guardians possessed. His attentions were on, of course, the many other guardians who strode about the Tower, going about their business. Scarce few spared him a glance, they were used to Rehgar and his zealous nonsense. “Let the Traveller heal you, as It healed me.”

Valla snorted, oranges eyes alight in the shadow of the staircase. She sat nestled against the wall, idly inspecting her rifle as she listened to her companion blabber on. Rehgar was human, fair skin, dark hair and eyes to match. He contrasted against her, with blue-purple skin that glimmered with strange ether, half her head shaven bare, with long indigo locks on the other side. 

She was an awoken, hailing from the Reef. A place she longed to return to, if only to escape the almost painful sense of the guardians’ light. They all had it, this strange aura about them, it hurt most her kind, an uncomfortable tingling on the skin. But she, with her mastery of the Darkness, it stung ever more-so. 

“Does that ever work?” She questioned, giving only a smirk in return for his quick glare. 

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand.” He replied. “You’re a guardian only in name.”

“Unfortunately,” Valla responded, adjusting the scope. She praised her gun, an sniper rifle from the Fallen, she had slain many foes with it. “But that doesn’t answer my question.”

Rehgar paused his rather strange display of raising his hands up into the air, towards the massive white orb in the distance. He looked to her, watching her fiddle with her weapon.

“A few have embraced the teachings.”

“Do they all spout nonsense like you?” 

Rehgar gave an honest shrug, “not quite as well.”

Valla gestured to the courtyard before them, one grand growing tree in the corner, just blocking the view of Banshee-44’s weapons depot. There was a sealed doorway to another section reserved for embassies and diplomats, which was flanked by two massive pillars bearing the flags of The Last City. The center housed two conjoined shops, one of which was the post office headed by a simple robot, and the other by another awoken. 

Two hallways, opposite each other sent to other sections of the tower, and of course there was the view. A spectacular vantage of the city, and at its center – the Traveller. A gleaming white orb of Light and untold promises. Ships of all sorts whizzed by, a few disappearing out of sight below, as they landed.

“Then by all means, feel free to continue blathering on.”

Rehgar bowed his head to her, and then turned on a dime to continue. Once again he was reaching towards the sky, proclaiming the divinity of the Traveller.

Until a guardian approached.

Valla’s hand slipped down to the trigger when the beast advanced. A massive exo, his hull gleaming a deep, metallic blue. He was only made more imposing by his armour, a titan no doubt, with plating that would’ve easily made a normal man drop to his knees from sheer weight. His eyes burned with a harsh red, as a brazen streak of yellow paint ran vertically over one eye.

It crossed her mind that this monster of a robot was going to assault Rehgar. 

Yet Rehgar didn’t miss a beat, he smiled at the stranger, and put a hand on either of the exo’s arms. 

“Have you come to embrace the Light?” He questioned, voice gentle. “The Traveller welcomes all, watches over us all-” 

An aggressive shrug had Rehgar questioning his action, his arms dropping down at the man stared at him. His voice reminded Valla of low thunder, rumbling and foreboding.

“I seek your aid,” his sharp fiery glare moved to Valla. “And yours, Reef-walker.”

“Our…” Rehgar glanced at Valla for some sort of clarification, yet she had none. Her expression, while far tamer then his, was confused as well. “Aid?”

He leaned closer to Rehgar, metal face a hair’s breathe from the preacher’s. 

“You refuse the invitation?”

As Rehgar’s eyes went wide, Valla was suddenly next to him, pushing the duo apart. 

“May we know your name, before we consider helping you?” Her tone is cutting, unlike Rehgar, she’s not afraid of the titan.

“Demetrys-66.” He grunted, towering over Valla. “And this isn’t a request, awoken, I’ve come at behest of Carter.”

While Rehgar’s eyes lit up at the familiar name, Valla’s did not. She frowned, letting out a sigh as she glanced at her friend.

“I apologize my good friend!” Rehgar once again had his hands on Demetrys’ arms, slapping them gleefully. “You should’ve mentioned that earlier! We haven’t seen Carter in ages!”

“I owe him nothing,” Valla stated flatly, “he saved your preaching ass, not mine.”

Demetrys looked at her again. “He insisted you at least listen to what he has to say.”

Rehgar nudged her. “Come now, Carter is a friend.”

She glared sharply at the man, but hadn’t the will to argue. She slung her rifle over her shoulder and gestured for Demetrys to lead on.

 

The fact that Carter wanted to meet them outside the city’s limits, didn’t inspire much faith from Valla. Rehgar of course, entrusted the precious Light to protect him, so to the babbling spell-chucker it meant very little where they were to meet. Valla however, was practical. Maybe a bit paranoid, but she would fall under the nomadic hunters, who always ventured out into the unknown.

She always knew the odds, but at the moment – she didn’t.

This meeting was shady; Carter was a titan. He was loyal to the Last City, Speaker and Traveller. It wasn’t like him to do this, not unless he had stumbled upon something his superiors wouldn’t approve of.

They met on the outskirts, in a mass grave of dilapidated cars, rusted and weathered beyond repair. The cries of Fallen were in the distant, locked in battle with someone or something, somewhere. It was bleak, old trees that were gnarled and twisted overlooked a sea of Golden Age vehicles time had destroyed, snow drifts danced across the Old Russia landscape. Great mechanical spires and crumbling cliffs in the distance.

Rehgar spotted the others immediately, there was another hunter sitting on top a car, all dressed in fine silvers and blues. A warlock was next to her, robes a vivid orange and turquoise, almost painful to look at. 

And Carter was more-so alone, checking his assault rifle over as his looser, more dextrous plating shone in the overcast, late afternoon sun. 

 

Rehgar was ahead of Valla and Demetrys, raising his arms up as the trio spotted him.

“Praise the Light!” He shouted, sparks and sudden embers of fire flourishing around him for a moment. “The Traveller’s kept you safe, my friend!”

There was joy in Carter’s voice.

“Still preaching that nonsense Rehgar?”

Demetrys turned to look at Valla, face hidden behind a solid looking helmet. 

“Is he always like this?” He questioned in a mutter.

Valla smirked, her amusement concealed by her own helmet. Slimmer and far more elegant than the exo’s. 

“You have no idea.” Though her pleasure didn’t last long as she eyed the other warlock again. There was only one person who would dare wear robes so blinding. 

“Nakia,” She snarled, pushing past both her companions and not sparing a glance for the other two as she faced her sister. “What the hell are you doing here?”

It was clear Valla’s sister was taken back by the tone, faltering as she faced the huntress. “I came with Carter…” She recovered a second later, her own tone snippy. “And graces upon you, sister. It’s lovely to know this is how you greet me after years apart.”

“You shouldn’t be here,” Valla didn’t bother acknowledging what her sibling chided. 

“Valla,” Carter dared to interject, a decision that caused all of the woman’s fury to suddenly be shot at him.

“Don’t.” She snapped, “your ploys are reckless, and get people killed. And my sister won’t be a part of it.”

“But it’s my idea,” Nakia drew the attention back towards her. “I may have accompanied Carter here, but he’s my friend. As is Ares,” she gestured to the woman on top of the car, who gave a rather casual wave despite the scene. 

Rehgar put a gentle hand on Valla’s shoulder, hoping to dispel the anger. She stepped back, arms crossing in clear disapproval. 

“What’s the idea?” Valla asked, knowing she’d regret the question. 

“There’s an archive on Venus, well… really it is The Archive, a near limitless source of knowledge, thought lost in the Calamity.” She almost seemed giddy as she spoke, excited. “I was given special clearance to investigate, to try and find anything that would aid the Guardians against the Darkness.

I found something amidst all the data there, some probably footnote about someplace called ‘The Vault of Glass.’”

Rehgar nodded. “You sent me letters regarding that, asked if I knew anything in regards to it.”

Ares glanced at him. “She sent one to all of us.” Though her features were hidden under the sleek and nimble armour of a hunter, the woman’s voice gave her heritage away. There was a mechanical warble to her voice, she was an exo, like Demetrys. “I imagine we all have the same response.”

Nakia nodded. “No one knew anything of it, I had thought it just some lost outpost, beyond where the Light reaches.

But when I questioned Ikora on the matter, she seemed perturbed. She mentioned two names, Pahanin, and Kabr. Then insisted the vault was nothing but a delusion of a mad guardian.”

“Which guardian?” Demetrys questioned. 

“Osiris, though I didn’t know it at the time.” Nakia fidgeted a tad, Valla knew the tic well. Her sister did it when she was nervous. There were a few glances around the circle at the mention of that name. “I did some more digging, when I found out that’s who it was, well it narrowed the field.”

“That explains why we’re meeting so far from the Tower,” Valla noted, her dislike for this idea growing sharply. “What is the Vault of Glass?”

“The Archive was the only place that still seemed to have some knowledge of Osiris and his writings. Most of them had to do with the vex, though there were entire tomes on the hive with scribblings from Toland weaved into the data.

The Vault of Glass is some sort of hub to the vex network, a place where all roads meet.” 

“So a vex stronghold.” Ares noted, looking to the others as a few nodded.

“That’d be a horribly simple way of defining it,” Nakia responded, disagreeing with her friend. “Osiris speculated that it’s where all of time’s confluxes collide, where the vex attempt to travel beyond realm of time and morph reality.”

There was a brief silence between the six.

Nakia frowned. “Fine, a vex stronghold.”

“And what does that have to do with us?” Demetrys spoke up, he didn’t care what the Vault of Glass was, he wanted to know what they were going to do. 

“Ikora’s reaction, and Osiris’ writings make me believe that there may be guardians trapped in that place.” Nakia replied, “we should save them.”

Another bout of silence.

“It would also be in the city’s best interests if we destroy it,” Carter interjected, “the vex were weakened after the Black Garden, but this could end their threat entirely if Nakia is right.”

None of them could deny that the city needed this, if the Vanguard leaders had one less hostile faction to worry about, it would be a boon to the Traveller and the Last City. Guardians may even have a moment to stop and take a breath, before rushing out into the unknown again.

“Is it wise to go into a place where time’s laws are... flexible?” Valla questioned, moving slightly so she could lean against a car. “If not entirely broken, our enemy has mastered controlling it, and we want to go and fight them where they’d be strongest?”

“It would be a worthy cause,” Rehgar responded, “A grand victory for the Light, and a welcomed comeuppance for the Darkness.” 

Demetrys sounded darkly entertained by that thought. “Retribution for those lost.” 

“Does anyone actually know where it is?” Ares asked, “or is this all just a wild goose chase for a supposed vex… thing?”

“Osiris’ notes say Venus,” Nakia was less confident now, she didn’t have a definite location, only a planet. “But… nothing past that. There’s mention to ‘time’s precious key’ and a gate, but nothing else. I can’t be sure if Osiris never made further progress, or if portions of his research were wiped.”

“He was banished for good reason,” Rehgar explained, “but perhaps there were those that thought even his research deserved to be purged.”

“It doesn’t matter what others thought before us, we need to find the vault. We split into three teams and look for this gate.” Carter instructed, “we’ll scour that entire planet if that’s what it takes.”

Ares gave Carter a curious look from underneath her helm. “When do we start?”

“Tomorrow,” he responded, “if we’re all in agreement?” 

His gaze, and most others were on Valla. She had been most vocal about the folly of the plan, and it wasn’t without merit. Disaster had fallen on the original group of friends, happenings that had severed the bond the between Carter and Valla completely, estranged the sisters, and turned Rehgar into a recluse until about a year ago. 

Valla was quiet for a long, arduous moment before she responded in a cold voice. “I’ll help you find the gate, but that’s it.” She was quick to look at Nakia, “for you. Not any of them.”

Nakia’s lips traced themselves into a gentle, sad smile. Valla had already begun walking away, Rehgar glancing between the group and she before hurrying to catch up to the hunter after waving goodbye.

“Thank you, sister.” Nakia whispered, there was a faint flicker of hope in her heart. That maybe Valla would come back into the fold.

That she’d finally be a guardian, in more than just name.


	2. GHOST FRAGMENT: Corrupted Memory I

There’s too much degradation to the ghost’s systems to retrieve an accurate recording. But there’s bits and pieces, flashes of gunfire and frantic shouting. 

“Rokar!” Someone calls, a titan maybe? Hard to see, could be a warlock.

“I searched for the Light,” another responds, out of sight, or the feed is just too corrupted. “I searched for the Light...”

“What have you done?”

Laughter? Gunfire again, then silence. 

Absolute silence.


	3. The Waking Ruins

Ares had always found it difficult to imagine any world as they once were: golden havens of society and ecological perfection. She had never doubted the Traveller’s abilities, but to see any of them now (even Earth), they were a far cry from anything pristine. 

Venus was no exception to the rule, though she could admit that this world, above all others, had the greatest views. It was still a lush place, with thick forests that grew ravenously in the hot, humid air of tropical environment. There were great ruins all over the planet, the Ishtar Sink being the most hotly explored set due to The Archive and enemy activity. She knew the people back home wanted to retake this place – to really get a foothold. 

Venus wasn’t a warzone like Mars, it wasn’t some red desert world crawling with massive, gun-toting walruses or whatever they were.

The cabal.

She scowled, before Carter had sent word her way, she had been patrolling Mars in an endless loop of violent boredom. The cabal gave no quarter, any progress she and other guardians made, it felt irrelevant. Their enemy would push back just as hard, regain key points, or grind the Tower’s forces to a very bloody, volatile halt.

Honestly, this fool’s hope was a welcome reprieve. 

Keen artificial eyes flicked up when she sensed movement, spotting the brightly coloured cloak of her partner. Nakia was wearing her helmet, Ares was not. She had been cleaning it, inspecting the nooks as she sat atop a research building long abandoned from the Golden Age. She could see Nakia’s pace pick up when she spotted her, there was a particular bounce to her step today.

Nakia glided up to her friend. Campus 9 led straight to the Endless Steps, there were countless gates there – surely one of them would suit their needs. 

Ares had a silver carapace, her face in the vaguest terms having some feline qualities. There were accents of gold, and the exo’s eyes glowed a soft, kind blue. Nakia had always thought her friend appeared gentle, and Ares had never proven her wrong. 

“Did we draw the short straw?” Ares questioned, a teasing bite to her voice. 

“How so?”

Ares stood quickly, looking towards the archway. Just beyond all the man-made rafting and old buildings were vex constructions. Massive blocks of some sort of alien stone not unlike concrete, moss and vines growing over them. Through there was the largest gate network any guardian had ever seen, and it could quite easily turn into a shitshow if they weren’t careful.

“We have to find a gate, and we get to investigate largest gathering of vex doors on the entire planet?” Ares shrugged, equipped her helmet. “That’s unlucky, in my opinion.”

“I doubt it will be any of the smaller ones, I imagine something of such importance would be larger.” Nakia’s response was thoughtful, as most warlock replies usually were. 

Ares smiled. “We’ll skip to the end then?”

“No,” Nakia replied, her tone vaguely disapproving. She knew Ares was joking. “This is important.”

“I could tell,” the exo noted, leading the way as they walked to the far edge of the structure and hopped down onto the concrete paving. “I’ve never seen you so happy.”

Nakia faltered in her step, pausing just long enough for Ares to glance back at her and slow. She began again quick enough, embarrassed.

“That… I’m just relieved my sister agreed to aid us.”

“Yeah,” Ares was slightly suspicious of the answer, or more-so why it was so important for Valla to be in on this. “You said your sister and you had a falling out.”

“That’s not quite true,” Nakia replied, relieved she was holding her scout rifle so she couldn’t fidget. There was a gate directly in front of them, a common sight here and on Mars. A bronze-gold ring with numerous antenna protruding from various parts. The base of the circle was missing, disappearing into the floor. “She doesn’t trust anymore, and I do. It’s a difference of opinion that’s defined the last three years.” 

“What happened?” Ares fell behind her friend as they approached the gate, letting the warlock take the lead on investigating. Truth be told, Ares didn’t have a clue as to what to look for. 

There was a sharp pop from the left and the two guardians whirled around. Two other vex gateways had sprung to life, white-yellow energy dancing from antenna to antenna, snapping in the air as the ring filled with a flowing, white liquid. 

Ares had her pistol out already, sidearm that packed far more punch then one would’ve given it credit for. 

“I don’t think they care for us touching their stuff.” She joked, watching as a pair of goblins marched through either gate.

Humanoid robots that were a deep brown-bronze, a single red light squarely in the middle of their frilled heads serving as an ocular node. They clung to strange weaponry, and moved comparably slowly to a guardian. 

“I imagine if this were the correct gate, they’d send more.” Nakia hypothesized, taking aim with her rifle and firing a shot into the white core in the robot’s chest. 

The golden sputtered and fell down dead, its arm crushed by the other as it marched forward. 

“Well,” Ares glanced at her, shrugging nonchalantly. “That should make it easy to find the right one.”

Nakia laughed.

❧

“Do you believe this Vault of Glass will be anything like the Black Garden?” 

Valla didn’t glance back at Rehgar as she answered, instead her eyes were scanning the strange formations that made up the Citadel. Rising plateaus of vex land, various bridges made of alien metals and in a bizarre design, all rising out of Venus’ natural soil, which was coated in grass and puddles. 

“If you mean ‘tedious and eerie,’ then yes, it will undoubtedly be exactly like the Black Garden.” She responded, passing underneath the seemingly haphazardly constructed crossing. Valla wondered if the vex ever meant to continue its formation, or if this is what they considered complete.

“I know you said you’ll only aid us in searching for the gate, but is there a chance you may accompany us further?” Rehgar posed another question to the awoken, hoping that her answer may have changed since yesterday. 

“I’m not a guardian, Rehgar.” Her reply was short, there was irritation in her tone. “I’ll be of no help.”

“You and I both know that’s not true.” 

Though it was true that Valla wasn’t a guardian. Born on the Reef, she had met the group by mere chance. Nakia had been the same, Valla’s younger sister and scholar, she loved to tag along on scouting missions. Everything had changed when they met Rehgar and Carter, despite the Reef’s shaky relationship with the Last City, the duo had joined them in hopes of perhaps repairing some of the damage – to prove an alliance could be forged.

Then Nakia had become a guardian, and everything had changed. Rehgar had heard of such instances before, where an individual was not discovered by a ghost, but rather through some sort of unknown trial, unlocked their divine potential. 

Everything had been going well, perhaps it should have been obvious it was going to fall apart.

They had reached a steep set of stairs when Valla turned to face him, the frown she had worn at the beginning of this conversation had deepened into a scowl.

“When you wandered the solar system after Callisto, I left you be.” She spoke, her voice soft but there was clear anger intermingled in the tone. “Perhaps you could entertain the notion that I haven’t overcome what happened.”

Rehgar put reassuring hand on her shoulder. “I’m not trying to hurry along your grieving process, Valla. I’m simply saying that your worth in this endeavour should not be so easily discarded.”

There was a silence between them, not awkward or terrible, just quiet. 

“I’ll think about it.” She told him, touching his hand for a second before pushing it off her. “Come on, the Juncture is through this pass.”

The pass, was more-so a canyon. It was the very base of what everyone had come to call the Citadel, a giant construct that rose up into the sky for miles. It wasn’t just one massive pillar either, it was a mix of floating platforms and sections, rings of other structures rotating around the complex, high in the sky. Valla had always wondered what was up there, and she had the faintest hope now that her curiosity would be sated.

Two high walls were on either side of them, directing them through a twisting pathway until it opened up to a larger area. Valla’s eyes were immediately drawn upwards, peering into the mass of skyborn buildings and objects. Arcs of white electricity snapped between a few. 

“Light protect us,” Rehgar murmured, awestruck by the sight. “And this is what the entirety of Mercury has become?”

“So goes the rumour,” Valla replied, sight then drawn to a strange construct near the back of the courtyard. “There it is.”

It was the only lead Valla could really think of when it came to an unexplored gate or doorway. She and Nakia had come here a few times, it had undoubtedly been an attempt by Nakia to try and help Valla heal, but neither were sure if it worked. Valla still felt angry, bitter at the entire universe, and there were times she relished in it.

But sometimes, she wished the opposite.

At the back of the Juncture was a series of rings and circles aligned into what appeared to be a golden plate. It was pointed towards the sky, and different enough from the various other vex gates to make her thing it was important. It was mounted on a floating slab of concrete, with a bridge extending to it. Down below it was nothing but a fog, a deep red glow emanating upwards, which seemed horribly ominous. 

She had never figured out how to make it work, and neither had Nakia. Perhaps Rehgar would have more luck.

“This is remarkable,” Rehgar stated, inspecting what must have been some sort of control mechanism next to the bridge. “How has the Vanguard not delved deeper into this mystery?”

“What benefit would it have to the Last City?” Valla commented, carefully crossing the gap and stepping onto the platform. “That would be the argument you’d have to make to the Vanguard.”

“Perhaps I’ll discuss it with Cayde,” he murmured, “he would undoubtedly indulge me.”

She smirked at the memory of the hunter vanguard. “Undoubtedly.”

Yet this place just seemed a little too barren and almost abandoned to be what they were searching for. Either the vex were entirely distracted by something else, or they were simply unconcerned with the curious poking around. Valla didn’t know which was more likely, if any of those suggestions were at all the reason.

The vex were different. Even from the standpoint of encountering the hive, fallen, and cabal. Their motivations were entirely a mystery, unknowable and even if they could be defined, it was doubtful anyone could understand.

Rehgar’s ghost, Timbr materialized next to him. The small, diamond shaped machine glanced between the two, her voice small but happy.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Valla.” Her lens flickered a tad brighter, her gaze shifted to her guardian. “How can I assist?”

“Take a few scans, we’re attempting to find a way to activate the platform.”

“Right away.” Timbr replied, floating off towards the disc. “Though you should know, I do not immediately detect any energy here. If I find a way to activate anything, we’ll also have to locate a power source.”

Valla and Rehgar looked at one another.

They both had their doubts about this place.

❧

Demetrys had thought about yesterday’s happening all night. He didn’t doubt that he wondered what everyone else did, if the vault was real, if they’d ever find it, and what would they do when they did? They were all incredibly valid points, yet it was an entirely different matter that was taking up his attention. 

Carter was a bit ahead of him, the two had sped along the cliff trail on their speeders, the engines’ whining cutting the quiet of the world. They had been the last to arrive, Carter getting pulled away by Zavala at the last moment. 

“Were you sleeping with Valla?”

Carter choked, stopping in his tracks sharply just as they reached a rectangular archway. He was quick to turn and stare at the other, dumbfounded.

“What?”

“Valla’s disdain for you, is quite possibly only matched by a fallen’s need to scavenge.” Demetrys pointed out. “Since yesterday, I’ve been trying to figure out why.”

If Demetrys had been able to even glimpse Carter’s expression, he would’ve known the answer instantly.

“No, I wasn’t sleeping with her.” He hissed, turning away from his friend. “Was that really the only solution you could come up with?”

“No, but you’ve scarcely mentioned her before. I’ve noticed you regularly avoid the subject, so I thought it pertinent to ask.” Demetrys tilted his head somewhat as Carter glanced over his shoulder at him. “The strained relationship could put this endeavour at risk.”

“We’ve worked together before,” Carter replied, “we can put aside our differences.”

Demetrys chuckled. “For how long?”

Where the duo ended up was a small section of the Ishtar Sink known as the Waking Ruins. It was a vex dominated area, their strange geometrical patterns and landscapes all over the place. They had formed a plateau opposite the area’s natural cliff, with a ramp leading up to the left, and an extended, narrower platform to the right. 

Trees and grass dotted the more natural landscape, with small cracks in the floor becoming creeks that lead the water to the edge of the mountain. Moss grew on most of the vex constructs, showing their age despite the relatively new species to the solar system.

Carter couldn’t fathom how it was possible, beyond the vex using their mastery of time to their advantage. They had transformed the entirely of Mercury into a machine, one massive robotic hub for the species. And he and other guardians had fought valiantly to stop Venus from suffering the same fate.

Though it appeared the damage was done. Carter doubted Venus would ever be the same.

He reached out and touched one of the pillars, shaking his head.

“What do you think they gain?” He looked to Demetrys. “Why transform an entire world into a machine?”

Demetrys gave a shrug in return. “Why did the Traveller terraform all these planets?”

“For life,” he replied, unsure of his companion’s point. “The vex kill anything they encounter; they don’t seem interested in life.”

“That entirely depends on your definition of life.” Demetrys countered, amused by the debate. “I won’t pretend I understand the vex minds, but we know they’re not entirely mechanical. It may be a simple command in their matrix, an ancient order that’s been corrupted by decay. Or, they may be trying to sustain themselves. We see it as alien, but undoubtedly, the vex find us and what we do to planets, just as bizarre.”

Carter couldn’t argue that point, Demetrys could very well be right. 

“It’s a waste of a planet, though.” He said, moving towards the ramp. 

Demetrys and gone across the way, leaping from pillar to pillar, quickly reaching the thin, stone bridge that spanned between the risen plateau and the offshoot platform. They could still see each other, as the two began looking for any clue for the vault. There was a large bronze ring worked into the floor, gleaming in the smoky sunlight. 

He knelt down, touching the metal lightly. Whatever it was for it wasn’t active, but the exo could sense an essence within the circle. It had a function, and the vex thought it prudent to keep whatever it was on standby. 

Demetrys looked across the distance to Carter, activating his commlink.

“Did you find anything?”

“Nothing, there’s a recent vex… construct in the center of a ring, but nothing else.” 

Demetrys frowned, moving away from the platform and towards the rise. There was a third circle here as well, centered with a massive golden dome mounted on a wall before him. He turned to see Carter approaching.

“I always thought that it resembled the door that opened up to the Black Garden.” Carter admitted, turning to look back towards the horizon. “But there’s no pillar, no way to open it.”

The low, mechanical groan of vex minotaurs drew the duo’s attention away from the view. They turned sharply, guns up as Demetrys faced right and Carter took the left. Even for a machine, these creatures appeared angry. They marched quickly towards the guardians, and as they drew closer Carter swore that their frames were reinforced. 

Minotaurs were the largest, and quite possibly the toughest of all the ordinary vex troops. They towered over the guardians (even Demetrys), had a dark grey-bronze colouration, and always came with shielding. They were humanoid, though their upper torso was large and wide, somewhat like an inverted triangle. Their heads were built mostly into their shoulders, giving the beasts little to no necks. 

And as with all vex, they had a single red lens for an eye. 

“Do they look tougher to you?” Carter called over his shoulder, pulling the trigger on his autorifle a second later. Bullets harmlessly bounced off the faint, purple shielding around the monster. 

Demetrys’ eyes narrowed. 

“Let’s find out.” 

He charged, sprinting forward at his target and slamming his shoulder into the minotaur with a phenomenal amount of force. He had ended numerous vex this way, their chassis would crack, dent and crumble. On the smaller variations, their limbs were snap or pop off, falling to the ground uselessly. 

But Demetrys’ foe hadn’t wavered, there wasn’t a mark on it. It bellowed out a strange, whirling noise and swung its massive arm downwards. Slamming Demetrys on the shoulder, just before it kicked the guardian away, back towards Carter. 

“Call the others,” Demetrys grunted, rising up off the ground. More vex were beginning to appear, marching out of the woodwork with the intent on obliterating the two titans. “I believe we’ve found our door.”


End file.
